Pope Francis tells the Christians of the East: “You are sprouts of hope”

Pope Francis' letter to the Christians in the East incorporates several messages. He chose to publish it on October 7, which is a pivotal day that affected all components of the Arab people in one way or another, including the Christians who opted to remain in the Gaza Strip, in churches--especially the Church of the Holy Family and the Church of Saint Porphyrius--and who experience daily martyrdom, hunger, as well as all kinds of physical and psychological pain.

They are the shining model in this East of Christian presence. Despite their small numbers, yet their presence makes the world refrain from viewing things from the perspective of a religious conflict between the Jews and the Muslims in the world, but rather from the perspective of a political conflict in which every component of the Palestinian people participates with its brethren in order to attain full independence. The Pope notes that he is in daily contact with priests and nuns in Gaza, which provides them daily with patience and further hope to get extricated from the whirlpool of war.

The Christians of the East are  “the sprouts of hope” according to the statement of His Holiness Pope Francis. They belong to the Holy Land, which contains great treasures, namely the footprints of Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mother, the holy apostles, and the martyrs.  The Pope's letter is an affirmation of these historical roots and a consolidation of them, which makes the Christians of this region proud that they have deep roots in the soil of this region, as they contribute to making peace in the way they can. They are an integral part of the life and the peoples of their societies, as some of them were martyred in past wars, as well as in this one, and no one can outbid the sincere patriotism that fills the hearts of Christians in these Arab countries and societies.

There is a clear contradiction regarding the percentages, for despite a logical increase in numbers, that does not make Christians abstain from serving their societies with the mental, material, spiritual, and national capabilities they own. They also work through their spiritual, educational, and humanitarian institutions to develop societies as well as to stimulate and enhance the societies’ human capabilities with positive humanitarian scientific competencies. They have as well service or charitable institutions, such as Caritas Jordan which a few days ago dispatched a shipment of medicines to our brotherly Lebanon amidst its current ordeal. To date, it has dispatched 90 trucks laden with aid to the afflicted Gaza Strip through the Hashemite Charity Organization. The Catholic Relief Services (CRS) branch in Jordan, whose headquarters is in the United States, has recently been registered in Jordan, as it functions in cooperation with all official and private national institutions.

 As for the method of working for the attainment of peace, it can also be followed through media in its traditional and modern electronic spectra, as well as through repeated calls for prayer and fasting because peace will not be achieved without divine intervention. Thus, the Church shows what Pope John XXIII said more than half a century ago--which is always adopted by the Christians of the East--namely peace is built on justice, truth, love, and forgiveness. Without  these basic values, peace will remain lopsided or rather absolutely absent.

Thanks are conveyed to His Holiness Pope Francis for his continued interest in the Christians of the East. On behalf of all of us, Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista thanked him, while sending a letter of affection from Jerusalem to Rome, to show that the ties of faith between the two cities are deep-rooted and have nothing to do with the political positions that Western countries may adopt in a manner consistent with the private interests of every country.